Ann Arbor AF

Today we are talking about city boards and commissions: what are they? What do they do? Who can be on them? (hint: you, hopefully!) We interview Ann Arbor resident Julie Weatherbee, an Ann Arbor resident and former member of the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Going further on your own:
- the list of city boards and commissions, who are always looking for volunteers like you;
- the City's CTN and YouTube channels, if you'd like to check out some board and commission meetings;
- and the Arbor Update blog, archived thanks to the Ann Arbor District Library.

Get informed, and get involved. It's your city!

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.

Today we are talking about the next City Council meeting, coming up Tuesday, January 19th. Want to see the agenda for yourself? We have the technology.

We discuss quarterly reports on sustainability, equity, and community budgeting; healthy streets with a callback to the 12/19 episode, and waste management with a callback to the 1/2 episode; along with a quick First Amendment Check. We get into the difference between policy and process, the difference between governance and politics, and how decisions get made in the City. And we're making an exception to our podcast's "no shenanigans" policy just for today.

At the end of the episode, Ariah Shugat returns with an update on her project getting phones and power to homeless folks, and an ask for our listeners.

Two quick process notes: we record a few days before the Council meeting, which means there's always a chance something new will make it to the agenda between the time of recording and the actual meeting. Also, we got some factchecking from our listeners from our section on township island annexations. We couldn't fit it into the episode, so here they are: Regarding township island annexations, Ann Arbor actually does not currently have any mechanism to require annexation when a township islands is sold. Annexation does not necessarily happen with sale, unless the new property owner wants to connect to city utility services, then they have to annex. Also, the agenda item we discussed wasn't about annexing new islands, it was just zoning for parcels that had already been annexed. The City does not currently have any new petitions for City initiated annexation in progress.

Warning: there are some swears in this episode, but we promise it's just because we're really big fans of the First Amendment.

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.

 We discuss homelessness in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County: The systems in
 place to help people, and how they fail sometimes.
 
 Special guests:
 * Greg Pratt, longtime advocate, affiliated with Washtenaw Camp Outreach,
 and the Housing and Human Services Advisory Board.
 * Ariah Schugat, a person who recently experienced homelessness in Ann
 Arbor.
 
 Please sign this petition from Health For All / Yma Johnson calling on the
 Washtenaw County Health Department / County Board of Commissioners to use
 its emergency powers to freeze eviction processes through the end of the
 school year.
 
 https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/use-emergency-powers-freeze-evictions-until-school-year-ends-washtenaw-county-health-dept/

Health For All Washtenaw: http://www.healthforallwashtenaw.org/

Other organizations mentioned in this episode:

Washtenaw Camp Outreach
https://www.facebook.com/washcampoutreach/?view_public_for=105028904610453&ref=

MISSION
http://www.missiona2.org/

Mercy House
https://www.facebook.com/mercy.house.39

Peace House, Ypsi
https://www.facebook.com/PeaceHouseYpsi

HAWC
http://www.housingaccess.net/

Shelter Assc Washtenaw County [Delonis Center]
https://www.annarborshelter.org/

Washtenaw Community Mental Health Crisis Services
https://www.washtenaw.org/2936/Crisis-Services

PORT/PATH team

PORT serves individuals in Washtenaw County who are homeless, suffer from
a mental illness and are not already connected to services. Not expecting
clients to come to us, PORT makes a commitment to meet the client where he
or she is both physically, psychologically and socially. PORT’s mission is
to engage, treat, and transition clients to mainstream services. Positive
engagement and outreach are the most important aspects of PORT's approach.

https://www.washtenaw.org/2935/Programs-Services
 
Finally, here are the county commissioners you can contact with your 
thoughts on the county's respose to homelessness.

https://www.washtenaw.org/217/Commissioners

Jason Maciejewski - [email protected]
Sue Shink - [email protected]
Shannon Beeman - [email protected]
Caroline Sanders - [email protected] [New Commissioner]
Justin Hodge - [email protected] [New Commissioner]
Ricky Jefferson - [email protected]
Andy LaBarre - [email protected]
Jason Morgan - [email protected]
Katie Scott - [email protected]

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.

Today we are talking about the first City Council meeting of 2021. We touch on township island annexations (here's the city's description we mentioned and the policy memo we referenced); the police budget (yes, again), including whether facial recognition technology is coming to Ann Arbor; the Moving Together initiative (the overall plan and its latest report), Vision Zero and A2Zero, and how transportation and master planning work together; and a little big dreaming about future Council work. A quick process note: we recorded this the Thursday before the Council meeting, which means there's always a chance something new will make it to the agenda between the time of recording and the actual meeting.

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.

Today we are talking about the next City Council meeting, coming up Monday, December 21st, 2020. We’ll be touching on a few interesting agenda items; it isn’t comprehensive, or else this podcast would be as infamously long as some Council meetings!

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.

Today we are taking a deeper dive into how to read a city council agenda. We’ll be walking you through how to find, read, and interpret a City Council meeting agenda to help you, Ann Arbor, follow along and get more involved.

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.

Is local politics secretly boring? Co-hosts Michelle Hughes, Molly Kleinman, and Jess Letaw take up the question while preparing for Ann Arbor's next City Council meeting on December. 7th, 2020.

They discuss the police purchasing contracts, and why ICPOC and budget season are the best ways to get involved for folks working to bring Black Lives Matter home. They also take up water rates, development, and sidewalk taxes, and why residents are - often unfairly - asked to make a lot of decisions that could be more centralized within the city. They end by dreaming up new things that City Council could be working on.

Support the show

Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Blue Sky and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no.